Raising Safe and Respectful ChildrenSponsored by the Holliston PTSAWednesday, April 25 from 7pm to 8pm at the Adams Middle School Library
Thank you for attending this evening's workshop. Below is a brief summary of what was covered during this evening. If you were not able to attend the presentation, please take a few minutes to read some of the articles linked below. The conversation during this workshop was centered on the recently published research from the American Academy of Pediatrics’s clinical report entitled “The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families” on March 28, 2011 by Dr. Schurgin O’Keeffe and Dr. Clarke-Pearson. There were also other well respected articles & studies that were discussed and they are also highlighted below.

Discussion Board: If you would like to participate on the follow up discussion board for the evening please click here.
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Social Media and Kids
Video: Help kids learn to behave responsibly online.
Take a look at the PowerPointfrom the evening workshop.

Articles and Studies

1. Clinical Report – The Impact of Social Media on Children, Adolescents, and Families - 2011.pdf
2. Internet Safety, sexting, drug abuse, obesity, and smoking are top health concerns for kids, according to U-M C. S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health
“Interestingly, our collective concerns over our children and their health has been rock solid consistent the last few years, as demonstrated by the National Poll on Children’s Health compiled by the CS Mott Children’s Hospital. The poll’s top 10 parental concerns has been virtually stable for the 5 years the poll has been complied. That is, until this year. We have one societal development to thank for the changes we see in this year’s list: technology. With change and development does come new issues to address and that’s what this year’s list reflects. So, what are we worried about?”
3. Social Networking's Good and Bad Impacts On Kids
4. Online Connections: Middle School Mental Health and the Effects of Social Media
5. Parent Blueprint – Kids model parent’s behavior
6. Family Media Agreements: Parents and kids making a commitment
The Family Media Agreement is a checklist that parents can use to guide conversations with their kids about media use. It’s designed to help parents establish guidelines and expectations around media use and behavior that are right for their family. Some families are comfortable using it as a signed agreement. Others prefer to use it simply as a checklist to guide conversations. Either way, it’s a great way to help parents and kids get on the same page about media and technology use.
Educators distribute the agreement to students to take home to their parents or use it as a handout at a parent education event. Some schools also use it as a complement to their technology or acceptable-use policy as a way to clarify what responsible media use looks like day-to-day, decision-to-decision.
Download the Family Media Agreement
For elementary school (English | Spanish)
For middle school (English | Spanish)
For high school (English | Spanish)

7. What's the Scoop on Facebook's Timeline?
Watch these videos:
Facebook Photos
Staying Safe on Facebook
Or read this article: 3 Rules of Facebook Privacy

What Parents Need to Know:
Kids today are growing up in public – and this is especially true when it comes to Facebook. The almost ubiquitous social network's new Timeline reveals every post your teen ever made on Facebook (read our review to see why we rate the site "off" for kids younger than 13). Unless teens hide old posts and are vigilant about limiting their audience, countless details of their lives appear in pictures, conversations, and random thoughts. The issue here is simple: What they say or do on Facebook adds up and affects their reputations.The simplest and most effective way to help your kids protect their reputations and privacy is to make sure they use their privacy settings. Facebook gives users the ability to control the audience for each post, as well as previous posts. Make sure your teens understand how to use the Audience Selector (but know, too, that this means teens can block you from reading their posts.)

8. Is Social Media Ruining Students?


If you have any questions about the evening, please call or email John Harutunian, Assistant Principal at the Robert Adams Middle School. He may be reached at the school 508-429-0657 x 1406 or harutunianj@holliston.k12.ma.us.